Surveillance Sensor Array with Variable Frame Rate Capture
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Solution Overview
Problem
High communication and memory bandwidth requirements in UAV surveillance operations, particularly when capturing high-resolution images at high frame rates, limit the operational capabilities of UAVs.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a surveillance process that uses a sensor array with independently adjustable image capture rates, where regions of interest are captured at a higher frame rate than non-interest areas, reducing bandwidth and memory requirements by transmitting or storing only high-rate images of detected features.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If images are captured at high frame rate with high resolution, then image quality and detection accuracy are improved, but communication bandwidth and memory requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The image data is segmented into regions of interest (ROI) and non-ROI areas. Only ROI data is transmitted at high frame rates and resolutions, while non-ROI areas are transmitted at lower rates or omitted entirely. This segmentation allows the system to maintain high image quality for critical areas without proportionally increasing overall bandwidth requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
Different quality levels are applied to different regions of the image based on their importance. Regions containing features of interest receive high-resolution, high-frame-rate capture, while other regions receive lower quality treatment. This local differentiation optimizes the balance between image quality and bandwidth consumption.
2Measurement precision
If images are captured at high frame rate with high resolution, then detection accuracy is improved, but memory storage requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
Memory storage is segmented based on region importance. High-resolution images of ROI are stored at full quality, while non-ROI areas are stored at reduced resolution or compressed more aggressively. This segmentation reduces overall memory requirements while preserving detection accuracy for critical regions.
Solution Approach 2:
Different storage quality settings are applied locally to different image regions. Critical regions maintaining high detection accuracy use high-quality storage, while less important regions use compressed storage formats, optimizing the trade-off between detection accuracy and memory usage.
3Area of stationary object
If full-resolution images are transmitted for entire area, then complete surveillance coverage is achieved, but communication bandwidth increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts and transmits only the essential portions of the surveillance area (regions of interest) at high quality, rather than transmitting complete full-resolution images of the entire area. This extraction approach maintains effective surveillance coverage for critical areas while dramatically reducing bandwidth requirements by omitting redundant data from non-critical regions.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method and apparatus for performing surveillance comprising: imaging, at a first frame rate, an area (4) to produce images; detecting, using the images, a feature of interest (22) within the area (4); determining a region of interest (24), the region of interest (24) corresponding to a region within the area (4) in which the feature of interest (22) will be located at a later time-step; and, at the later time-step, using the region of interest (24), imaging the area (4) such that images of the region within the area (4) in which the feature of interest (22) is located are produced at a second frame rate, whilst images of the rest of the area (4) are produced at a third frame rate, the second rate being different to the third rate.